The Yellow Turban Rebellion, alternatively translated as the Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a

peasant revolt This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...

in China against the Eastern Han dynasty. The uprising broke out in 184 CE during the reign of Emperor Ling. Although the main rebellion was suppressed by 185 CE, it took 21 years for full suppression of resistant areas and emerging rebellions by 205 CE. The rebellion, which got its name from the color of the rebel headwear, marked an important point in the

history of Taoism The history of Taoism stretches throughout Chinese history. Originating in prehistoric China, it has exerted a powerful influence over Chinese culture throughout the ages. Taoism evolved in response to changing times, with its doctrine and assoc ...

due to the rebels' association with secret

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

societies. The revolt was also used as the opening event in the 14th-century historical novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD ...

''.

Causes

The Han Dynasty's central government was weakened by court

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...

s abusing their power over the emperor to enrich themselves. Twelve of the most powerful eunuchs were referred to as the

Ten Attendants The Ten Attendants, also known as the Ten Eunuchs, were a group of influential eunuch-officials in the imperial court of Emperor Ling ( 168–189) in Eastern Han China. Although they are often referred to as a group of 10, there were actually 12 ...

with Emperor Ling once claiming that "Regular Attendant Zhang Rang is my father and Regular Attendant Zhao Zhong is my mother". The government corruption was perceived as causing plagues, natural disasters, and poor agricultural yields, reflecting that the emperor had lost his Mandate of Heaven. As flooding along the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...

forced farmers and military settlers south, the labor surplus incentivized exploitation. Disease outbreaks were reported in 171, 173, 179, 182, and 185 CE, with the potential cause theorized as the Antonine Plague of 165 to 180CE of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

or measles spread along the Silk Road. Through claims of providing curative water and bamboo playing, the Taoist leader

Zhang Jue Zhang Jue (; died October 184) was a Chinese military general and rebel. He was the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was said to be a follower of Taoism and a sorcerer. His name is sometimes ...

developed his initial following to send his disciples throughout northern China in preparation for a revolt. Their rapid rise was relatively unnoticed until they become too powerful to challenge. Zhang Jue intended to launch an uprising throughout the Han Empire, but the plan was betrayed before he was ready. Rebel sympathizers in

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...

were arrested and executed, forcing a premature beginning in the second month of 184. Despite the inevitable lack of co-ordination and overall preparation, tens of thousands of men rose in rebellion. Government offices were plundered and destroyed and the imperial armies were immediately forced on the defensive.

Rebels

Founders

The rebellion was led by

(also referred to as Zhang Jiao, known to his followers as the "General of Heaven") and his two younger brothers Zhang Bao () and Zhang Liang (), who were born in

Julu Commandery Julu Commandery () was a historical commandery of China, located in modern-day southern Hebei. The commandery was established by Qin after it annexed Zhao in 222 BC. In early Western Han dynasty, it was part of the Zhao Kingdom. After the failed ...

. The brothers had founded a Taoist religious sect in present-day Shandong, praised as healers who offered free care to impoverished patients. Recognizing how the local government abused the peasant class through harsh labor and heavy taxes, they plotted rebellion.

Taoist sect

The rebels were the first followers of the Way of Supreme Peace () and venerated the deity

Huang–Lao ''Huang–Lao'' or ''Huanglao'' () was the most influential Chinese school of thought in the early 2nd-century BCE Han dynasty, having its origins in a broader political-philosophical drive looking for solutions to strengthen the feudal order as ...

, who according to Zhang Jue, had given him a sacred book called the ''Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace'' () based on the ''

Taipingjing ''Taipingjing'' ("Scriptures of the Great Peace") is the name of several different Taoist texts. At least two works were known by this title: :*, 12 Chapters, contents unknown, author: Gan Zhongke :*, 170 Chapters, only 57 of which survive ...

''. Zhang Jue, who was said to be a sorcerer, called himself the "Great Teacher" (). When the rebellion was proclaimed, Zhang Jue created a 16-word slogan spread through the brothers' medical work:(初，鉅鹿張角自稱「大賢良師」，奉事黃老道，畜養弟子，跪拜首過，符水咒說以療病，病者頗愈，百姓信向之。角因遣弟子八人使於四方，以善道教化天下，轉相誑惑。十餘年閒，眾徒數十萬，連結郡國，自青、徐、幽、冀、荊、楊、兗、豫八州之人，莫不畢應。遂置三十六方。方猶將軍號也。大方萬餘人，小方六七千，各立渠帥。訛言「蒼天已死，黃天當立，歲在甲子，天下大吉」。以白土書京城寺門及州郡官府，皆作「甲子」字。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71.

Religious practices

Zhang Jue claimed to cure patients by having them confess sins for Taoist

faith healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...

. The Zhang brothers believed in an impending apocalyptic change in the '' jiazi'' year, the beginning of the new

sexagenary cycle The sexagenary cycle, also known as the Stems-and-Branches or ganzhi ( zh, 干支, gānzhī), is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus a total of sixty years for one cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...

, involving yellow skies marking new governance, which inspired the color of their headwear.''Generals of the South'', Rafe de Crespigny
(pp. 85–92) Through the sect's communal activities like trances, fasting, musical performances, chanting, incense burning, and sermons, followers united across ethnic and gender lines. Several

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

leaders, such as

Yufuluo Chizhi Shizhu Hou (; 150–196; r. 188–195 AD), personal name Yufuluo (於夫羅), was a puppet chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu during the late Han Dynasty. In 188, he was appointed chanyu by the Han court following the murder of his father Qian ...

, lent their support, potentially inspiring Zhang Jue to adopt their

shamanistic Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiri ...

beliefs. Despite few surviving records, the early Path of Supreme Peace was likely similar to the

Way of the Celestial Masters The Way of the Celestial Masters is a Chinese Daoist movement that was founded by Zhang Daoling in 142 AD. Its followers rebelled against the Han Dynasty, and won their independence in 194. At its height, the movement controlled a theocratic stat ...

, considering that Zhang Jue claimed to be a descendant of

Zhang Daoling Zhang Ling (; traditionally 34–156), courtesy name Fuhan (), was a Chinese religious leader who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty credited with founding the Way of the Celestial Masters sect of Taoism, which is also known as the Way of the ...

. Much of the '' Taipingjing's'' surviving 52 chapters, found in the ''

Daozang Daozang (), meaning ' Taoist Canon', consists of around 1,400 texts that were collected (after the '' Daodejing'' and '' Zhuangzi'' and Liezi which are the core Taoist texts). They were collected by Taoist monks of the period in an attempt to ...

'', have a direct relationship to the Way of the Celestial Masters with discrepancies potentially suppressed by later Taoists.

Zhang Jue's plans for rebellion

Before the rebellion started, Zhang Jue had sent Ma Yuanyi () to recruit followers from Jing and

Yang Yang may refer to: * Yang, in yin and yang, one half of the two symbolic polarities in Chinese philosophy * Korean yang, former unit of currency of Korea from 1892 to 1902 * YANG, a data modeling language for the NETCONF network configuration ...

provinces and gather them in Ye. Since Ma Yuanyi frequently traveled to

, the Han imperial capital, he was able to persuade Feng Xu () and Xu Feng (), members of the imperial court's eunuch faction, to secretly collaborate with Zhang Jue. They set 3 April 184 as the date for the rebellion, but before the plans was set in motion, the Yellow Turbans were betrayed. One of the founders of "The Way of Peace" movement, Tang Zhou () had been excluded from later planning, so he reported Ma Yuanyi to the authorities. Ma Yuanyi was arrested and executed by dismemberment in Luoyang.(中平元年，大方馬元義等先收荊、楊數萬人，期會發於鄴。元義數往來京師，以中常侍封諝、徐奉等為內應，約以三月五日內外俱起。未及作亂，而張角弟子濟南唐周上書告之，於是車裂元義於洛陽。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. After Emperor Ling learned that Zhang Jue was plotting a revolt, he ordered Zhou Bin (), Prefect of the Palace Parks (), to conduct an investigation and capture all the conspirators. Hundreds of people were arrested and executed during this time.(靈帝以周章下三公、司隸，使鉤盾令周斌將三府掾屬，案驗宮省直衛及百姓有事角道者，誅殺千餘人，推考冀州，逐捕角等。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71.

Yellow Rebellion

When Zhang Jue heard that the Han government had caught wind about his plans to rebel, he quickly sent messengers to contact his allies throughout China and take action immediately. Sometime between 29 February and 29 March 184, Zhang Jue started the Yellow Turban Rebellion with roughly 360,000 followers wearing yellow headscarves or turbans.(中平元年春二月，鉅鹿人張角自稱「黃天」，其部師有三十六萬，皆著黃巾，同日反叛。安平、甘陵人各執其王以應之。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. He called himself the "Lord General of Heaven" (), while his brothers Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang were called the "Lord General of Earth" () and "Lord General of People" (), respectively. The rebels attacked government offices, pillaged villages, and seized control of commanderies. Within 10 days, the rebellion had spread throughout China, alarming the Han imperial court in

.角等知事已露，晨夜馳敕諸方，一時俱起。皆著黃巾為摽幟，角稱「天公將軍」，角弟寶稱「地公將軍」，寶弟梁稱「人公將軍」，所在燔燒官府，劫略聚邑，州郡失據，長吏多逃亡。旬日之閒，天下嚮應，京師震動。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. The rebels were mostly concentrated in the Ji, Jing,

You In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...

and Yu provinces. The group led by Zhang Jue and his brothers gained their support in Ji Province, located just north of the

, near Zhang Jue's home territory of

(around present-day

Pingxiang County Pingxiang County () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xingtai, in the south of Hebei province, China, located about from downtown Xingtai. It has a population of 280,000 residing in an area of . In the Han dynas ...

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...

) and

Wei Commandery Wei Commandery ( zh, 魏郡) was a historical commandery of China, located in modern southern Hebei and northern Henan. The commandery was created during Emperor Gaozu of Han's reign, with its seat at Ye. In late Western Han, it administered 18 ...

(around present-day Handan, Hebei). A second major uprising took place in

Guangyang Commandery Guangyang Commandery ( zh, 廣陽郡), at times also Guangyang Principality ( zh, 廣陽國), was a territory of early imperial China located in modern Hebei and Beijing. Western Han dynasty Guangyang Commandery was first established during Qin Sh ...

(around present-day

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

) and

Zhuo Commandery Zhuo Commandery ( zh, 涿郡) or Fanyang Commandery ( zh, 范陽郡) was a commandery in imperial China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in modern Hebei and Beijing. Han dynasty Zhuo Commandery was established during Emperor Gao of Han's ...

(around present-day

Zhuozhou Zhuozhou (), is a county-level city with 628,000 inhabitants in Hebei province, bordering Beijing to the north. It is administered by Baoding prefecture-level city. Zhuozhou has 3 subdistricts, 6 towns, 5 townships, and 1 development zone. Adm ...

, Hebei) in You Province. The third centre of the rebellion was in

Yingchuan Commandery Yingchuan Commandery ( zh, 潁川郡) was a Chinese commandery from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty, located in modern central Henan province. The name referred to the Ying River, which flowed through its territory. The commandery was es ...

(around present-day

Xuchang Xuchang (; postal: Hsuchang) is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pi ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

) and

Runan Commandery Runan Commandery ( zh, 汝南郡) was a Chinese commandery from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in modern Henan and Anhui provinces. The name referred to its location to the south of Ru River (汝水), a historical river that flowed into th ...

(around present-day

Xinyang Xinyang (; postal: Sinyang) is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China, the southernmost administrative division in the province. Its total population was 6,234,401 according to the 2020 census. As of t ...

, Henan) in Yu Province, and

Nanyang Commandery Nanyang Commandery ( zh, 南陽郡) was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was centered in present-day Nanyang, Henan. History Nanyang Commandery was established by Qin in the 35th year of King Z ...

(around present-day Nanyang, Henan) in northern Jing Province. On 1 April 184, Emperor Ling appointed his brother-in-law He Jin, the Intendant of Henan (), as General-in-Chief () and ordered him to supervise the imperial armies in suppressing the rebellion.(三月戊申，以河南尹何進為大將軍，將兵屯都亭。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. Emperor Ling also appointed three generals –

Lu Zhi Lu Zhi or Lu Chih may refer to: *Empress Lü (呂雉), first empress of the Han dynasty *Lu Zhi (Han dynasty) (盧植), minister of the Eastern Han dynasty **Lu Zhi (卢志), great-grandson of the Eastern Han minister and confidant/strategist of Si ...

Huangfu Song Huangfu Song pronounced in Mandarin (died April 195), courtesy name Yizhen, was a military general who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for helping to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Liang Province Rebe ...

and Zhu Jun – to lead three separate armies to deal with the rebels with a total of roughly 40,000 troops.(於是發天下精兵，博選將帥，以嵩為左中郎將，持節，與右中郎將朱雋，共發五校、三河騎士及募精勇，合四萬餘人，嵩、雋各統一軍，共討潁川黃巾。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. Lu Zhi went for Zhang Jue's base in Ji Province, while Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun headed to Yingchuan Commandery.(遣北中郎將盧植討張角，左中郎將皇甫嵩、右中郎將朱雋討潁川黃巾。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8.

You Province: Guangyang and Zhuo commanderies

You Province You Prefecture or You Province, also known by its Chinese name Youzhou, was a prefecture ('' zhou'') in northern China during its imperial era. "You Province" was cited in some ancient sources as one of the nine or twelve original provinces ...

, the rebels killed Guo Xun (), the provincial Inspector, and Liu Wei (), the Administrator of Guangyang Commandery.(廣陽黃巾殺幽州刺史郭勳及太守劉衛。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. Zou Jing, a colonel, led imperial forces to eliminate the rebels in You Province.

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the ...

led a group of volunteers to assist him.(靈帝末，黃巾起，州郡各舉義兵，先主率其屬從校尉鄒靖討黃巾賊有功，除安喜尉。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 32.

Yu Province: Runan and Yingchuan commanderies

When the rebellion first broke out in Yu Province, the Han imperial court specially selected Wang Yun to be the inspector of the province to oversee the military operations.(中平元年，黃巾賊起，特選拜豫州刺史。 ... 討擊黃巾別帥，大破之，與左中郎將皇甫嵩、右中郎將朱雋等受降數十萬。於賊中得中常侍張讓賓客書疏，與黃巾交通，允具發其姦，以狀聞。靈帝責怒讓，讓叩頭陳謝，竟不能罪之。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 66. Zhao Qian (), the administrator of

, led his troops to attack the rebels before Zhu Jun arrived, but was defeated at Shaoling (; in present-day southeastern Henan).(汝南黃巾敗太守趙謙於邵陵。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. When Chen County (; present-day

Huaiyang County Huaiyang District () is a district in the prefecture-level city of Zhoukou in the east of Henan province, People's Republic of China. During the Spring and Autumn period the capital of the state of Chen was located there. The Chinese Ma cliq ...

, Henan) was under attack by the rebels, seven of Zhao Qian's subordinates, who were non-military personnel, armed themselves with swords and attempted to fight the rebels but were all killed. Later, after the rebellion was suppressed, Emperor Ling issued an edict to honor the seven as the "Seven Virtuous" ().(忠子祕，為郡門下議生。黃巾起，祕從太守趙謙擊之，軍敗，祕與功曹封觀等七人以身扞刃，皆死於陳，謙以得免。詔祕等門閭號曰「七賢」。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 45.(謝承書曰「秘字永寧。封觀與主簿陳端、門下督范仲禮、賊曹劉偉德、主記史丁子嗣、記室史張仲然、議生袁秘等七人擢刃突陳，與戰並死」也。) Annotation from Xie Cheng's ''Houhanshu'' in (Fan Ye's) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 45. Chen State (; around present-day

Zhoukou Zhoukou (; Postal romanization, postal: Chowkow) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province of China, province, China. It borders Zhumadian to the southwest, Xuchang and Luohe to the west, Kaifeng to the northwest, Shangqiu to the north ...

, Henan), one of the commanderies in Yu Province, avoided the Yellow Turban Rebellion's bloodshed because the rebels feared Prince

Liu Chong Liu Min (劉旻) ( 895 – 954), named Liu Chong (劉崇) before 951,, also known Emperor Shizu of Northern Han by his temple name '' Shizu'' (世祖), was the founding emperor of the Northern Han state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ...

, famous for his unit of skilled archers.(中平中，黃巾賊起，郡縣皆棄城走，寵有彊弩數千張，出軍都亭。國人素聞王善射，不敢反叛，故陳獨得完，百姓歸之者眾十餘萬人。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 76. The rebels in Runan Commandery, led by Bo Cai (), initially defeated Zhu Jun in battle and drove him back. The imperial court sent a cavalry commandant, led by young officer Cao Cao (), as reinforcements for Zhu Jun.(會帝遣騎都尉曹操將兵適至，嵩、操與朱雋合兵更戰，大破之，斬首數萬級。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. Sometime between 28 May and 25 June, Zhu Jun,

, and Cao Cao joined forces to defeat Bo Cai at Changshe (; east of present-day Changge, Henan).(雋前與賊波才戰，戰敗，嵩因進保長社。波才引大眾圍城，嵩兵少，軍人皆恐，乃召軍吏謂曰：「兵有奇變，不在眾寡。今賊依草結營，易為風火。若因夜縱燒，必大驚亂。吾出兵擊之，四面俱合，田單之功可成也。」其夕遂大風，嵩乃約敕軍士皆束苣乘城，使銳士閒出圍外，縱火大呼，城上舉燎應之，嵩因鼓而奔其陳，賊驚亂奔走。 ... ) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. While Bo Cai attempted to flee, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun pursued him to Yangzhai County (陽翟縣; present-day

Yuzhou, Henan Yuzhou () is a county-level city in the central part of Henan, People's Republic of China. It occupies the northwest corner of the prefecture-level city of Xuchang. The city is named for Yu the Great, the founder of the Xia Dynasty, which the ci ...

) and defeated him again, causing the rebels to scatter. Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun then defeated the rebels in Runan Commandery, led by Peng Tuo (), at Xihua County (; south of present-day

Xihua County Xihua County () is a county in the east-central part of Henan province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhoukou Zhoukou (; Postal romanization, postal: Chowkow) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan pr ...

, Henan).(嵩、雋乘勝進討汝南、陳國黃巾，追波才於陽翟，擊彭脫於西華，並破之。餘賊降散，三郡悉平。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. The imperial court ordered them to split up: Huangfu Song would attack the rebels at

Dong Commandery Dong Commandery ( zh, 東郡) was a commandery in historical China from the Warring States period to Sui dynasty. Its territories were situated in present-day Henan, Hebei and Shandong provinces. The commandery was established by the state of Qin i ...

(東郡; around present-day

Puyang County Puyang County () is a county in the northeast of Henan province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Puyang. Administrative divisions As 2012, this county is divided to 8 towns and 12 townships. ;Towns ;Townships ...

, Henan), while Zhu Jun would attack the rebels at Nanyang Commandery.(皇甫嵩、朱雋大破汝南黃巾於西華。詔嵩討東郡，朱雋討南陽。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. During this time, Wang Yun, the Inspector of Yu Province, found evidence that the rebels had been secretly maintaining contact with Zhang Rang (), the leader of the eunuch faction in Luoyang, so he reported it to Emperor Ling, who scolded Zhang Rang but did not punish him. Between 7 November and 6 December, Bao Hong (), a colonel, led imperial forces to attack the rebels in Gebei (; northwest of present-day

Xincai County Xincai County (; postal: Sintsai) is a county in the southeast of Henan province, China, bordering Anhui province to the northeast and east. It is the easternmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Zhumadian. Xincai was one of t ...

, Henan) and defeated them.( ��平五年��十月， ... 徐黃巾復起，寇郡縣。 ... 遣下軍校尉鮑鴻討葛陂黃巾。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8.

Ji Province: Wei and Julu commanderies

In the meantime,

defeated Zhang Jue's rebel forces in

and besieged the rebel leader in Guangzong County (; southeast of present-day

Guangzong County Guangzong County () is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Xingtai in the south of Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 7 ...

, Hebei). However, after a eunuch falsely accused Lu Zhi of treason, Emperor Ling ordered his arrest, escorted back to

as a prisoner.(盧植破黃巾，圍張角於廣宗。宦官誣奏植，抵罪。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. The imperial court then sent General

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (died 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minist ...

to take over Lu Zhi's position and attack Zhang Jue. However, Dong Zhuo failed and retreated.(遣中郎將董卓攻張角，不剋。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8.(時北中郎將盧植及東中郎將董卓討張角，並無功而還，乃詔嵩進兵討之。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. On 23 or 24 September,

and Fu Xie (), a Major under him,(後為護軍司馬，與左中郎皇甫嵩俱討賊張角。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 58. defeated the rebels at Cangting (; north of present-day

Yanggu County, Shandong Yanggu County () is a county of western Shandong province, People's Republic of China, bordering the narrow strip of Henan province to the south. It is administered by the prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural cit ...

), captured their leader Bu Ji (卜己), and killed over 7,000 rebels, including other minor leaders Zhang Bo () and Liang Zhongning ().(又進擊東郡黃巾卜己於倉亭，生禽卜己，斬首七千餘級。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71.(燮軍斬賊三帥卜巳、張伯、梁仲寧等，功高為封首。) ''Xu Han Shu'' annotation in ''Houhanshu'' vol. 58. On 25 September, the imperial court ordered him to replace Dong Zhuo and lead his troops north to Guangzong County and attack Zhang Jue.(八月，皇甫嵩與黃巾戰於倉亭，獲其帥。乙巳，詔皇甫嵩北討張角。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. Zhang Jue died of illness while under attack by Huangfu Song in Guangzong County. Between 21 November and 20 December, Huangfu Song kept attacking Zhang Liang, who had taken over command of his brother's followers at Guangzong County. Unable to defeat Zhang Liang's skilled Yellow Turbans, Huangfu Song switched to a defensive approach, tricking the rebels into lowering their guard for a devastating nighttime strike. Zhang Liang was killed in action alongside 30,000 rebels, while another 50,000 rebels drowned while attempting to flee across a river. Huangfu Song burnt over 30,000 carts containing rebel supplies and captured most of their family members. Huangfu Song then had Zhang Jue's body excavated and decapitated, sending his head to the imperial court in Luoyang. In recognition of Huangfu Song's achievements, Emperor Ling promoted him to Left General of Chariots and Cavalry (). Between 21 December 184 and 18 January 185, Huangfu Song joined forces with Guo Dian (), the Administrator of Julu Commandery, to attack the remaining rebels led by Zhang Jue's other brother, Zhang Bao. They defeated the rebels at Xiaquyang County (; west of present-day

Jinzhou, Hebei Jinzhou () is a county-level city of Hebei Province, North China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang. Until November 1991, it was known as Jin County (). Jinzhou is located in central Hebei province, ea ...

), killed Zhang Bao, and received the surrender of over 100,000 rebels.(冬十月，皇甫嵩與黃巾賊戰於廣宗，獲張角弟梁。角先死，乃戮其屍。以皇甫嵩為左車騎將軍。十一月，皇甫嵩又破黃巾于下曲陽，斬張角弟寶。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8.(嵩復與鉅鹿太守馮翊郭典攻角弟寶於下曲陽，又斬之。首獲十餘萬人，築京觀於城南。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71.

Jing Province: Nanyang Commandery

On 24 March 184, the rebels led by Zhang Mancheng () killed Chu Gong (), the Administrator of

, and occupied the commandery's capital, Wancheng (; present-day

Wancheng District Wancheng District () is one of two districts of the city of Nanyang, in the southwest of Henan province, People's Republic of China. Administrative divisions As 2012, this district is divided to 6 subdistricts, 4 towns and 6 townships. ;Subdistr ...

, Nanyang, Henan).(庚子，南陽黃巾張曼成攻殺郡守褚貢。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. Chu Gong's successor, Qin Jie (), rallied local forces in Nanyang Commandery to attack Zhang Mancheng and defeated and killed him between 26 June and 25 July,(六月，南陽太守秦頡擊張曼成，斬之。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8.(時南陽黃巾張曼成起兵，稱「神上使」，眾數萬，殺郡守褚貢，屯宛下百餘日。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. before Zhu Jun's reinforcements arrived. After Zhang Mancheng's death, Zhao Hong () became the new rebel leader in Wancheng. During or after October 184, Qin Jie and Zhu Jun combined forces with Xu Qiu (), the Inspector of Jing Province, to attack Wancheng with an army of about 18,000. They defeated and killed Zhao Hong.(後太守秦頡擊殺曼成，賊更以趙弘為帥，眾浸盛，遂十餘萬，據宛城。雋與荊州刺史徐璆及秦頡合兵萬八千人圍弘，自六月至八月不拔。有司奏欲徵雋。 ... 雋因急擊弘，斬之。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. Following Zhao Hong's death, Han Zhong () and the remaining rebels seized control of Wancheng, continuing to resist imperial forces. Zhu Jun ordered his troops to pretend to attack from the southwest, while he secretly led 5,000 elite soldiers to infiltrate Wancheng from the northeast. Han Zhong retreated into the citadel and requested to surrender. Qin Jie, Xu Qiu and Zhang Chao (), a Major under Zhu Jun, all urged Zhu Jun to accept Han Zhong's surrender, but he refused. Zhu Jun instead pretended to lift the siege to lure Han Zhong to come out and attack. Han Zhong fell for the ruse, lost the battle, and tried to flee north while some 10,000 of his men were slaughtered by imperial forces. In desperation, Han Zhong surrendered to Zhu Jun, but Qin Jie had him executed.(賊餘帥韓忠復據宛拒雋。雋兵少不敵，乃張圍結壘，起土山以臨城內，因鳴鼓攻其西南，賊悉眾赴之。雋自將精卒五千，掩其東北，乘城而入。忠乃退保小城，惶懼乞降。司馬張超及徐璆、秦頡皆欲聽之。 ... 因急攻，連戰不剋。雋登土山望之， ... 既而解圍，忠果出戰，雋因擊，大破之。乘勝逐北數十里，斬首萬餘級。忠等遂降。而秦頡積忿忠，遂殺之。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71. On 11 January 185, Zhu Jun defeated another rebel force led by Sun Xia (), who then fled towards Xi'e County (; north of present-day Nanyang, Henan). Zhu Jun pursued him there, defeated him and caused the remaining rebels to disperse.(癸巳，朱雋拔宛城，斬黃巾別帥孫夏。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8.(餘眾懼不自安，復以孫夏為帥，還屯宛中。雋急攻之。夏走，追至西鄂精山，又破之。復斬萬餘級，賊遂解散。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 71.

Xu and Yang provinces

Xu Province Xuzhou as a historical toponym refers to varied area in different eras. Ordinarily, it was a reference to the one of the Nine Provinces which modern Xuzhou inherited. History Pre-Qin era Xuzhou or Xu Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ...

, the provincial Inspector Tao Qian, with the aid of

Zang Ba Zang Ba ( 162–230s), courtesy name Xuangao, was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. He served the warlord Tao Qian initially, followed by Lü Bu and finally Cao Cao and his su ...

, managed to defeat the rebels to restore regional peace.(會徐州黃巾起，以謙為徐州刺史，擊黃巾，大破走之，境內晏然。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 73.(黃巾起，霸從陶謙擊破之，拜騎都尉。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 18. Sun Jian, then a minor official serving in Xiapi County (; south of present-day

Pizhou Pizhou () is a county-level city under the administration of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China. As of 2006 it had a population of 163,000; it borders the Shandong prefecture-level cities of Linyi to the northeast and Zaozhuang to the northwest. ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

) in Xu Province, came to join Zhu Jun's army as a Major. He brought along several young men from Xiapi County and other soldiers recruited from the

Huai River The Huai River (), formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in China. It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins in China, and like them runs from west to ea ...

region.(中平元年，黃巾賊帥張角起於魏郡，託有神靈，遣八使以善道教化天下，而潛相連結，自稱黃天泰平。三月甲子，三十六萬一旦俱發，天下響應，燔燒郡縣，殺害長吏。漢遣車騎將軍皇甫嵩、中郎將朱儁將兵討擊之。儁表請堅為佐軍司馬，鄉里少年隨在下邳者皆願從。堅又募諸商旅及淮、泗精兵，合千許人，與儁并力奮擊，所向無前。汝、潁賊困迫，走保宛城。堅身當一面，登城先入，衆乃蟻附，遂大破之。儁具以狀聞上，拜堅別部司馬。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 46. In

Yang Province Yangzhou, Yangchow or Yang Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China mentioned in historical texts such as the ''Tribute of Yu'', '' Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''. Name There are four different theories regarding the origin of t ...

, the rebels attacked Shu County (; in present-day central

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

), a county in Lujiang Commandery (; around present-day

Lu'an Lu'an (), is a prefecture-level city in western Anhui province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan to the northwest and Hubei to the southwest. As of the 2020 census, it had a total population of 4,393,699 inhabitants whom 1,752,537 liv ...

, Anhui), and set fire to buildings. Yang Xu (), the Administrator of Lujiang Commandery, successfully rallied thousands of able-bodied men aged 19 and above for countering the attack and firefighting.(... 四遷為廬江太守。後揚州黃巾賊攻舒，焚燒城郭，續發縣中男子二十以上，皆持兵勒陳，其小弱者，悉使負水灌火，會集數萬人，并埶力戰，大破之，郡界平。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 31.

End of the rebellion

By the beginning of 185, the rebellion had mostly been suppressed following Zhu Jun's recapture of Wancheng in Nanyang Commandery and Huangfu Song's victories over the Zhang brothers in Ji Province. The remaining, scattered rebels were pursued by government forces in smaller military campaigns, and by mid-February 185, Emperor Ling issued a celebratory proclamation by changing his

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of ...

from Guanghe () to Zhongping (; "pacification achieved").

Resurgent Yellow Turban activities after early 185

Although the main Yellow Turban Rebellion ended by February 185, smaller rebellions by Yellow Turban remnants continued over the following two decades.

White Wave Bandits

Between 16 March and 13 April 188, Guo Tai () led some 100,000 Yellow Turban remnants to start a rebellion in

Xihe Commandery Xihe Commandery ( zh, 西河郡) was a historical commandery of China, located in modern northern Shanxi and part of Inner Mongolia. The name "Xihe" referred to a southward section in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The commandery was se ...

(around present-day Fenyang, Shanxi). As they originated from Baibo Valley (白波谷; "White Wave Valley") in Xihe Commandery, they later became known as the "White Wave Bandits" (白波賊). They allied with the

leader

and attacked

Taiyuan Commandery Taiyuan Commandery ( zh, 太原郡) was a commandery of China from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was located in modern central Shanxi province. The commandery was established by the Qin state in 248 BC, after Qin general Meng Ao a ...

(around present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi) and

Hedong Commandery Hedong Commandery () was a historical region in the Qin and Han dynasties of ancient China. Hedong was located to the east of the Yellow River in Shanxi (around present-day Yuncheng). History Hedong Commandery was established by the Qin state ...

(around present-day

Yuncheng, Shanxi Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and Sha ...

).( ��平五年二月， ...��巾餘賊郭太等起於西河白波谷，寇太原、河東。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8. Between 27 October and 25 November 189, when the bandits attacked Hedong Commandery, the warlord

's attempt at sending his son-in-law

Niu Fu Niu Fu () (died 192) was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Life Niu Fu had served under the warlord Dong Zhuo when the latter was still serving as a military genera ...

to lead attacking troops failed. Around mid-195,

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. Liu Xie was a so ...

fled from the imperial capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...

, where he had been held hostage by Dong Zhuo's followers, led by Li Jue and

Guo Si Guo Si () (died 197), also known as Guo Duo, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He assisted Dong Zhuo in his many campaigns and served as a su ...

, since Dong Zhuo's death in 192. He returned to the ruins of the old imperial capital

, which Dong Zhuo burnt down in 191 while forcefully relocating its residents to Chang'an. Dong Cheng (a former subordinate of Niu Fu) and

Yang Feng Yang Feng (died 197) was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Yang Feng was a leader of the White Wave Bandits. Later, he became a subordinate of Li Jue. In 192, Li Jue, Guo Si and other former follo ...

(a former White Wave bandit)(傕將楊奉本白波賊帥， ...) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 72. protected Emperor Xian in Luoyang when Li Jue and Guo Si tried to pursue and bring the emperor back to Chang'an. Dong Cheng and Yang Feng summoned the White Wave Bandits, led by Li Le (), Han Xian, Hu Cai () and others, to come to Emperor Xian's aid. Xiongnu forces led by Qubei (去卑) also responded to the call and came to help Emperor Xian resist Li Jue and Guo Si's forces.(李傕、郭汜既悔令天子東，乃來救段煨，因欲劫帝而西， ... 而張濟與楊奉、董承不相平，乃反合傕、汜，共追乘輿，大戰於弘農東澗。承、奉軍敗，百官士卒死者不可勝數，皆棄其婦女輜重，御物符策典籍，略無所遺。 ... 天子遂露次曹陽。承、奉乃譎傕等與連和，而密遣閒使至河東，招故白波帥李樂、韓暹、胡才及南匈奴右賢王去卑，並率其眾數千騎來，與承、奉共擊傕等，大破之，斬首數千級，乘輿乃得進。董承、李樂擁衛左右，胡才、楊奉、韓暹、去卑為後距。傕等復來戰，奉等大敗，死者甚於東澗。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 72. Between 195 and 196, the warlord Cao Cao led his forces into Luoyang and escorted Emperor Xian to his own base in Xu (許; present-day

) and established the new imperial capital there.

Yi Province: Ma Xiang and Zhao Zhi

In 188,

Ma Xiang Ma Xiang (died 188) was a self-declared Emperor of China, Yellow Turban rebel, warlord, and bandit leader who lived in the late 2nd century. Although operating after the main Yellow Turban Rebellion had been defeated, Ma proved highly successf ...

() and Zhao Zhi () led Yellow Turban remnants to start a rebellion in

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(covering present-day

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

and Chongqing). They killed Li Sheng (; Prefect of Mianzhu County ), Zhao Bu (; Administrator of Ba Commandery ) and Xi Jian (; Inspector of Yi Province). Ma Xiang declared himself emperor before this sect of the rebellion was suppressed by local forces led by Jia Long (), a former subordinate of Xi Jian.( ��平五年六月， ...��州黃巾馬相攻殺刺史郗儉，自稱天子，又寇巴郡，殺郡守趙部，益州從事賈龍擊相，斬之。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 8.(是時梁州逆賊馬相、趙祗等於緜竹縣自號黃巾，合聚疲役之民，一二日中得數千人，先殺緜竹令李升，吏民翕集合萬餘人，便前破雒縣，攻益州殺儉，又到蜀郡、犍為，旬月之間，破壞三郡。相自稱天子，衆以萬數。州從事賈龍素領兵數百人在犍為東界，攝斂吏民，得千餘人，攻相等，數日破走，州界清靜。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 31.

Qing Province: Zhang Rao, Guan Hai, Xu He and Sima Ju

Around 189, Zhang Rao () led some 200,000 Yellow Turban remnants to ravage

Qing Province Qingzhou or Qing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China dating back to BCE that later became one of the thirteen provinces of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The Nine Provinces were first described in the '' Tribut ...

. He defeated imperial forces under Kong Rong, the Han-appointed Chancellor of

Beihai State Beihai Commandery ( zh, 北海郡) was a historical commandery of China, located in present-day northern Shandong province. Beihai was created during Emperor Jing of Han's reign. According to Zhou Zhenhe, Beihai was likely established on six count ...

(around present-day

Weifang Weifang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city borders Dongying to the northwest, Zibo to the west, Linyi to the southwest, Rizhao to the south, Qingdao to the east, and looks out to the ...

, Shandong) in Qing Province.(時黃巾寇數州，而北海最為賊衝，卓乃諷三府同舉融為北海相。融到郡，收合士民，起兵講武，馳檄飛翰，引謀州郡。賊張饒等群輩二十萬眾從冀州還，融逆擊，為饒所敗，乃收散兵保朱虛縣。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 70. Later, Kong Rong was besieged in Duchang County (; present-day

Changyi, Shandong Changyi () is a county-level city of Weifang, Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The city is 1627.5 square kilometers in area, with a household population of 581,000 as of 2010. The city is under the administration of the Changyi Muni ...

) by thousands of Yellow Turban rebels led by Guan Hai ().

Taishi Ci Taishi Ci () (166–206), courtesy name Ziyi, was a Chinese military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He had served as a minor Han official, before eventually coming to serve warlords Liu Yao, Sun Ce, and Sun Ce's s ...

, then a military officer under Kong Rong, managed to break out of the siege and seek help from

, who was then the Chancellor of the nearby

Pingyuan State Pingyuan Commandery ( zh, 平原郡) was a historical commandery of China, existing from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty. It was centered around present-day northwestern Shandong province. The commandery was carved out of the Jibei Kingdom during Empe ...

. Liu Bei brought along 3,000 troops to attack Guan Hai and succeeded in saving Kong Rong.(時黃巾復來侵暴，融乃出屯都昌，為賊管亥所圍。融逼急，乃遣東萊太史慈求救於平原相劉備。備驚曰：「孔北海乃復知天下有劉備邪？」即遣兵三千救之，賊乃散走。) ''Houhanshu'' vol. 70. In the 200s, Xu He () and Sima Ju () led Yellow Turban remnants from

Jinan Commandery Jinan Commandery ( zh, 濟南郡) was a commandery in historical China, located in what is now central Shandong province. Jinan was established in early Western Han dynasty under the Qi Kingdom of Liu Fei, son of Emperor Gaozu. In 165 BC, Liu ...

(around present-day

Zhangqiu Zhangqiu () is one of 10 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, East China. The district has an area of 1721.29 square kilometers, 20 towns, 908 villages and the permanent resident populati ...

, Shandong) and

Le'an Commandery Le'an Commandery ( zh, 樂安郡) was a historical commandery in China, located in present-day central and northern Shandong. The commandery was established as Qiansheng Commandery (千乘郡) during Emperor Wu of Han's reign from part of Qi Com ...

(around present-day

Zibo Zibo (, ) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Binzhou to the ...

, Shandong) respectively to ravage

. They were defeated and killed by

Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Yuan () (died 219), courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China (in parts of present-day G ...

and Lü Qian some time between 206 and 209.(濟南、樂安黃巾徐和、司馬俱等攻城，殺長吏，淵將泰山、齊、平原郡兵擊，大破之，斬和，平諸縣，收其糧穀以給軍士。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 9.(又與于禁討昌豨，與夏侯淵討黃巾餘賊徐和等，有功，遷徐州刺史。 ... 濟南黃巾徐和等，所在劫長吏，攻城邑。虔引兵與夏侯淵會擊之，前後數十戰，斬首獲生數千人。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 18.

Yan Province: Cao Cao's Qingzhou Army

Around May 192, hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban remnants from

swarmed into

Yan Province Yan Province or Yanzhou was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China. During the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), it covered roughly present-day southwestern Shandong, eastern Henan, and the northwestern corner of Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ...

and killed Zheng Sui (), the Chancellor of Rencheng State (; around present-day

Zoucheng Zoucheng () is a county-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. Before it became a city, it was known as Zou County or Zouxian. Zoucheng is located about 20 km south of the city of Qufu, and like Qufu, is administratively und ...

, Shandong), before moving into Dongping Commandery (; around present-day

Dongping County , other_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = BaifoShan Park.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_ ...

, Shandong).

Liu Dai Liu Dai (died 192), courtesy name Gongshan, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Liu Dai was from Mouping County (牟平縣), Donglai Commandery (東萊郡), which is in present-day Muping Dist ...

, the Inspector of Yan Province, wanted to lead his troops to attack the rebels but the general

Bao Xin Bao Xin (152–192) was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Bao Xin was from Pingyang County (), Taishan Commandery (), which is present-day Xintai County, Shandong. ...

advised him against it. Liu Dai ignored this advice, dying in his attack against the rebels. Bao Xin and another official, Wan Qian (), went to Dong Commandery (; around present-day

Puyang Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei ...

) to invite Cao Cao to be the new Governor of Yan Province. Bao Xin then led government forces to attack the rebels at the east of Shouzhang County (; south of present-day Dongping County, Shandong) but was killed in action. Later, despite having fewer troops, Cao Cao managed to defeat the rebels in Jibei State. The rebels, numbering over 300,000, surrendered to Cao Cao along with their families. Cao Cao then recruited their best warriors and organised them to form an elite military unit, the Qingzhou Army (; also translated as "Qingzhou Corps").(追黃巾至濟北。乞降。冬，受降卒三十餘萬，男女百餘萬口，收其精銳者，號為青州兵。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 1.

Runan and Yingchuan commanderies: He Yi, Liu Pi, Gong Du and others

In Runan Commandery and Yingchuan Commandery, thousands of Yellow Turban remnants remained active under the leadership of He Yi (), Liu Pi (), Huang Shao (), and He Man (). They were initially allied with the warlords

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (died July or August 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189 ...

and Sun Jian, but became an independent force in the 190s. Between 17 March and 15 April 196, the warlord Cao Cao led his forces to attack them and killed Liu Pi, Huang Shao, and He Man. He Yi led the remaining forces in surrendering to Cao Cao.(汝南、潁川黃巾何儀、劉辟、黃邵、何曼等，衆各數萬，初應袁術，又附孫堅。 ��安元年��月，太祖進軍討破之，斬辟、邵等，儀及其衆皆降。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 1. Other Yellow Turban forces in Runan Commandery were led by Wu Ba () and Gong Du (). Wu Ba was defeated and captured by the general

Li Tong Li Tong may refer to: * Li Tong (Ciyuan) (李通), courtesy name Ciyuan (次元), Han dynasty general *Li Tong (Wenda) (李通), courtesy name Wenda (文達), Han dynasty general * Li Tong (Tang dynasty) (李通), Tang dynasty prince, 18th son of E ...

.又生禽黃巾大帥吳霸而降其屬。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 18. Gong Du posed a threat to Cao Cao when he allied with Cao Cao's rival,

, and seized control of Runan Commandery in 201. Cao Cao first sent Cai Yang () to eliminate them, but after Cai Yang was killed, he personally led his troops to attack and defeat them. Liu Bei fled south to join

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (coveri ...

, while Gong Du and the remaining rebels dispersed.( ��安六年��月，公還許。紹之未破也，使劉備略汝南，汝南賊共都等應之。遣蔡揚擊都，不利，為都所破。公南征備。備聞公自行，走奔劉表，都等皆散。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 1.

Yang and Jiao provinces

Another Yellow Turban remnant force was active in

Kuaiji Commandery Kuaiji Commandery ( Chinese: t , s , p ''Kuàijī Jùn''), formerly romanized as K'uai-chi Commandery, was a former commandery of China in the area of Hangzhou Bay. When first established, its capital was at Wu (present- ...

(around present-day

Shaoxing Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitant ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

) until Liu Zan killed its leader Wu Huan ().(吳書曰：留贊字正明，會稽長山人。少為郡吏，與黃巾賊帥吳桓戰，手斬得桓。贊一足被創，遂屈不伸。) ''Wu Shu'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 64. In the 200s, Chen Bai () and Wan Cheng () started a rebellion in Jiuzhen Commandery (; present-day Thanh Hóa Province,

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

). In 202, they were defeated and captured by

Zhu Zhi Zhu Zhi (156–224), courtesy name Junli, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. He was from Guzhang County (), Danyang Comm ...

, the commandery's administrator.(建安七年，權表治為九真太守，行扶義將軍，割婁、由拳、無錫、毗陵為奉邑，置長吏。征討夷越，佐定東南，禽截黃巾餘類陳敗、萬秉等。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 56.

Aftermath and impact

The Han armies were victorious, despite the destruction of major government buidings, deaths of high-ranking officials, and fragmentation of the dynasty's territory. While the exact number of casualties is unknown due to poor recordkeeping, a significant portion of the rebels were by direct fighting and the ensuing economic instability. Heavily weakened, the Han Dynasty was unable to fully govern, distributing its powers to military commanders and local leaders until its complete collapse by 220 CE. After Emperor Ling died in 189, a power struggle between his brother-in-law He Jin and the eunuchs culminated in He Jin's assassination on 22 September 189. He Jin's chief ally,

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred t ...

, retaliated by setting the palace on fire and slaughtering the eunuchs. The warlord

gained control over the underage heir,

Liu Bian Liu Bian (176 – 6 March 190), also known as Emperor Shao of Han and the Prince of Hongnong, was the 13th emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He became emperor around the age of 13 upon the death of his father, Emperor Ling, and ru ...

, to legitimize his occupation and ransacking of the capital. Dong Zhuo was murdered for his cruely in 192, allowing the warlord Cao Cao to seize power.

Involved parties

;Yellow Turban rebels *

, overall leader of the rebellion, stationed in Wei and Julu commanderies ** Zhang Bao (張寶), Zhang Jue's younger brother ** Zhang Liang (張梁), Zhang Jue's younger brother * Bu Ji (卜己), leader of the rebels at Cangting ** Zhang Bo (張伯) ** Liang Zhongning (梁仲寧) * Zhang Mancheng (張曼成), leader of the rebels in Nanyang Commandery ** Zhao Hong (趙弘) ** Han Zhong (韓忠) * Sun Xia (孫夏) * Bo Cai (波才), leader of the rebels in Runan and Yingchuan commanderies ** Peng Tuo (彭脫) * Ma Yuanyi (馬元義) * Tang Zhou (唐周) ;Han imperial forces * Emperor Ling ** He Jin, General-in-Chief (大將軍) **

, North General of the Household (北中郎將) **

, Left General of the Household (左中郎將) *** Fu Xie (傅燮), Major (司馬) ** Zhu Jun, Right General of the Household (右中郎將) *** Zhang Chao (張超), Major (司馬) *** Sun Jian, Major (司馬) **

, General of the Household (中郎將) ** Cao Cao, Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉) ** Bao Hong (鮑鴻), Colonel (校尉) * Guo Dian (郭典), Administrator of Julu Commandery * Xu Qiu (徐璆), Inspector of Jing Province ** Chu Gong (褚貢), Administrator of Nanyang Commandery ** Qin Jie (秦頡), Administrator of Nanyang Commandery * Tao Qian, Inspector of

, Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉). *

Yang Xu Yang Xu (; born 12 February 1988) is a Chinese professional footballer who currently plays for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua. Club career Yang Xu started his football career when he made his debut for Liaoning Whowin on 16 April ...

(羊續), Administrator of Lujiang Commandery * Guo Xun (郭勳), Inspector of

** Liu Wei (劉衛), Administrator of Guangyang Commandery * Zou Jing, Colonel (校尉) **

* Wang Yun, Inspector of Yu Province ** Zhao Qian (趙謙), Administrator of Runan Commandery (汝南郡) *** Yuan Mi (袁祕), ''yisheng'' (議生; scholar) *** Feng Guan (封觀), Officer of Merit (功曹) *** Chen Duan (陳端), Registrar (主簿) *** Fan Zhongli (范仲禮), a ''menxiadu'' (門下督; patrol officer) *** Liu Weide (劉偉德), ''zeicao'' (賊曹; law enforcement officer) *** Ding Zisi (丁子嗣), ''zhujishi'' (主記史; historian) *** Zhang Zhongran (張仲然), a ''jishishi'' (記室史; scribe/note-taker) **

(劉寵), Prince of Chen

Resurgent Yellow Turban rebels

(馬相), started a rebellion in

in 188 ** Zhao Zhi (趙祗) * Zhang Rao (張饒), attacked and defeated Kong Rong in

around 189 * Guan Hai (管亥), attacked and besieged Kong Rong in Duchang County around 189 or 190, but was defeated by Liu Bei * Wu Huan (吳桓), active in

* He Yi (何儀), led rebels in the 190s in Runan Commandery ** Liu Pi (劉辟) ** Huang Shao (黃邵) ** He Man (何曼) * Gong Du (共都/龔都), active in Runan Commandery, allied with Liu Bei in 201 * Wu Ba (吳霸), active in Runan Commandery * Xu He (徐和), led rebels in the 200s in Jinan Commandery * Sima Ju (司馬俱), led rebels in the 200s in Le'an Commandery * Chen Bai (陳敗), led rebels in the 200s in Jiuzhen Commandery ** Wan Cheng (萬秉) * White Wave Bandits ** Guo Tai (郭太), started a rebellion in 188 in Xihe Commandery. This group of rebels became the White Wave Bandits **

, became a subordinate of Li Jue. He protected

from Li Jue and

in 195 ** Li Le (李樂), along with Han Xian, Hu Cai and others, came to Emperor Xian's defence in

in 195 ** Han Xian ** Hu Cai (胡才)

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

The rebellion is portrayed in the opening chapters of the 14th-century historical novel ''

'', which portrays the Zhang brothers as sorcerers, having been provided the ''

Taiping Jing ''Taipingjing'' ("Scriptures of the Great Peace") is the name of several different Taoist texts. At least two works were known by this title: :*, 12 Chapters, contents unknown, author: Gan Zhongke :*, 170 Chapters, only 57 of which survive ...

'' from the " old immortal spirit from the southern lands" (sometimes identified as

Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to: * ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Daoism **Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...

). Many fictional Yellow Turban figures were created for the novel, including: * Du Yuan, killed by

Liao Hua Liao Hua (late 180s - 264), courtesy name Yuanjian, originally named Liao Chun, was a military general of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Like Zhang Yi and Zong Yu, Liao was one of few officials who served the Sh ...

for kidnapping

's wives *

Zhou Cang Zhou Cang is a fictional character in the 14th-century Chinese historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''. Story A strong warrior with a dark face and a wiry beard, Zhou Cang gets caught up in the Yellow Turban Rebellion towards the end ...

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

's rebel-turned-weapon bearer * Gao Sheng, a subordinate of Zhang Bao *

Cheng Yuanzhi The following is a list of fictional people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The list includes characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong and those found in oth ...

, defeated by Liu Bei's forces in their first engagement * Deng Mao, Cheng Yuanzhi's champion *

Bian Xi The following is a list of fictional people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The list includes characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong and those found in othe ...

, an eventual servant of Cao Cao who tried and failed to kill Guan Yu Though not a fictional character,

was presented in the novel as having been a Yellow Turban rebel in his earlier days, which is historically unlikely, given his date of death and predicted lifespan.

In popular culture

The rebellion appears as an early stage in each iteration of Koei's ''Dynasty Warriors'' video game franchise, remaining largely unchanged throughout the series. He Yi, Gong Du, and Huang Shao lead playable factions in the Yellow Turban DLC of the turn-based strategy video game '' Total War: Three Kingdoms'', while the Mandate of Heaven DLC features Zhang Jue, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (third century). '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Fan, Ye (fifth century). '' Book of the Later Han'' (''Houhanshu''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...

''. {{Authority control 180s conflicts 190s conflicts 200s conflicts 2nd-century rebellions 3rd-century rebellions Rebellions during the end of the Han dynasty Peasant revolts History of Taoism Apocalypticism Romance of the Three Kingdoms